Barry L Wells, United States ambassador to The Gambia, accompanied by a high powered delegation, including officials from FAWEGAM, BAFROW and EFA, on Wednesday visited four Upper Basic Schools benefiting from the Ambassador’s Girls’ Scholarship Program.

The schools visited were Kunkujang Keitaya, Brikama, Jamisa, and Kitty Upper Basic Schools in Western Region. The visit was meant to familiarise the US Embassy officials with the beneficiaries and gauge their level of progress. It is also supposed to give them a first hand information on the impact of the project. AGSP is a sponsorship project funded by the US President’s African Education Initiative, launched in November 2005.

The project is managed by the World Education and coordinated by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWEGAM) in The Gambia. It aims at providing 300,000 scholarships for primary school girls in 45 countries in Africa, within a period of four years. It is also geared towards correcting gender imbalance in education in Africa in order to contribute to sustainable development. The project also seeks to reach intelligent girls who are orphans, handicapped, economically disadvantaged, or affected by HIV/AIDs.

During the tour of schools benefiting from the project in the Western Region, the US ambassador spoke of his embassy’s willingness to provide education for the girl child in the Gambia. At both meetings, Ambassador Wells spoke of the commitment of the three institutions towards the AGSP projects. He recalled that in 2002, the former president of the United States, George W Bush, announced the Africa Education Initiative (AEI). He said the former US president recognised the need for the education of African children as vital to the continent’s future economic growth and lasting democracy.

According to him, since the inception of the program in 2005, it has provided scholarship to a total of 2,292 girls and 100 boys in upper basic schools. “Last year the project provided 100% support in terms of examination fees for 900 students, enabling them to sit to their Gambia Basic Secondary Education Certificate Examination (GABECE). This development relieved the families of these children of the burden of having to bear the expenses,” said Barry Wells.

The United States plenipotentiary challenged the students to double their efforts and improve themselves in their academic pursuits, and to maintain the desire to succeed. For her part, Yadicon Njie-Eribo, FAWEGAM country coordinator, thanked the US government through its embassy in Banjul for starting such a laudable initiative. She noted that the project does not only ensure that girls go to school, but it also seeks to ensure their retention.

She used the opportunity to advise students, especially girls, to study hard and to avoid early marriage and teenage pregnancies. Madam Emily Sarr, chairperson of FAWEGAM, challenged the students to make the best use of the opportunities given to them. She reminded them that expectations on the sponsored students are very high, noting that they should prove worthy of the trust and confidence bestowed on them. She added that their schools had been chosen on the basis of their performance.

Matarr Baldeh, coordinator of the Education for All Campaign (EFA), said since their inception, they had been working with FAWEGAM on the AGSP project. He emphasized that students should maintain discipline in school and concentrate on their academic programs, urging them to be focused, to regard their books as their friends and distance themselves from things that may have negative impacts on their lives. Other speakers at the various meetings included Sally Singhateh, a representative of BAFROW; Pa-Coumba Saine, principal of Kitty Upper Basic School; and Adama O. Bah, principal of Brikama Upper Basic School. They all expressed delight with the project.  

The votes of thanks were given by students at the various schools visited. They expressed hope that the US government, through its embassy in Banjul, will continue to help them. They urged other governments and diplomats to emulate the US Embassy.
The ceremonies were punctuated with performances by  cultural groups.